Hungarian MEPs of the European People’s Party (EPP) on Friday rejected the liberal group’s concerns about Hungary’s new constitution, insisting its statements were “biased, based on false information and contain[ed] serious misinterpretations”.

The liberal group said earlier on Friday that the constitution, due to be approved by Parliament on Monday, would pose a grave threat to many fundamental European Union values.

“We hold fundamental human rights to be absolute, and a wording that opens the possibility of their limitations is unacceptable for a member state that has signed up to the full body of EU law,” group leader Guy Verhofstadt said in a statement sent to MTI.

The Belgian ex-premier said it was everyone’s interest that the “constitution [should] not become a Trojan horse for a more authoritarian political system in Hungary.”

The Hungarian EPP deputies said, however, that the draft “is built upon common European traditions and values; on the respect of human dignity and freedom rights, and on the principles of democracy and rule of law. It incorporates the achievements of the Lisbon Treaty, and stands up for European integration and unity”.

Verhofstadt, however, called on Hungary to submit the text of the new law to the European Commission for evaluation and to revise any parts that do not conform to EU values.

He criticised the draft for lacking any mention of prohibition of discrimination, as well as the way notions such as marriage and family are defined. He also slammed restrictions to the powers of the Constitutional Court set down in the basic law.

The liberals said the protection of the life of the foetus from the time of conception would be tantamount to a ban on abortion, and that the definition of the Hungarian nation, including Hungarians living abroad, could easily give way to irredentist acts that potentially harm the sovereignty of other countries.

The Hungarian MEPs firmly rejected both charges.

Verhofstadt criticised the whole process of drafting lacked transparency, flexibility, a spirit of compromise and sufficient time for debate, the statement added.

The Hungarian MEPs argued, however, that the idea of a new constitution had been on the agenda for 20 years and drafting had been preceded by a comprehensive social consultation.

Verhofstadt indicated the liberals’ reservations earlier this month to European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso. The Commission’s president said at that time that the process of drafting a constitution falls within the competence of the population and institutions of the member states, which are obliged to respect the common values of the EU.

Thousands of demonstrators started a protest on Friday against the governing party alliance’s re-write of the basic law, which is expected to be passed, thanks to the ruling Fidesz-Christian alliance’s two-thirds parliamentary majority.

The law includes provisions which economists and investors have praised, such as putting a ceiling on the public debt set at 50 percent of gross domestic product, which is expected to lead to an improvement in the state finances.

But other measures, such as the stipulation that marriage is between a man and woman and a passage which could pave the way for tighter abortion rules have angered liberals.

“give way to irredentist acts that potentially harm the sovereignty of other countries.”
The hypocrites, this is exactly what the EU is doing to the sovereign nation states of Europe for decades….
Mr Verhofstadt is a good example in this piece!! It is still amazing that most people are still blind for who these people really are!!
Read how he talks to a sovereign nation!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I5BGsK5ZAU Viking

this is exactly what the EU is doing to the sovereign nation states of Europe for decades
Géza at April 18, 2011 1:05 PM
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Pls show us a single “sovereign nation states of Europe” that has been forced to join the EU
They all volunteered gladly to join and hence to *submit*, then part of joining the EU is to accept that the national law is subordinated to EU law
By joining the EU, you give up the concept of being a “sovereign nation states”

Leto

@Géza:
It was certain that after the media law the second wave of attack from these Verhofstadt types will be because of the constitution.
In the meantime, the reality of the changing political climate in Europe is this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_parliamentary_election,_2011
“True Finns”, a national radical party made a landslide advance. (+15%, 34 more seats!)
And the Christian Democrats have announced that they will not support any governing coalition that plans on legalising same-sex marriage. Though they got 4% only, it’s pretty likely that they’d be in government..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I5BGsK5ZAU Viking

“True Finns”, a national radical party made a landslide advance
And the Christian Democrats have announced that they will not support any governing coalition that plans on legalising same-sex marriage. Though they got 4% only, it’s pretty likely that they’d be in government..
Leto at April 18, 2011 2:42 PM
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Together with Finland’s “Jobbik”, so of course you are exited over that
It would be like KDNP/”Jobbik” forming the next Hungarian Government – The ‘Leto’ Dream Team…
.
One of Orban’s thesis on Finland has been the Finnish way of treating its minorities, like the 6% Swedish minority
One of the main tasks of the right-wing populist “True Finn”-party is to limit the usage of the Swedish language in Finland
Another of the things ‘leto’ like with the “True Finn”, like what the Slovakian radical nationalists are trying to do in Slovakia, limiting the use of Hungarian

Leto

@Géza:
I haven’t given my opinion on these Finnish political developments. The news was to demonstrate that the puny verhofstadts are being phased out in Europe.

Leto

The German liberal Süddeutsche Zeitung is raging.
“A European scandal”
Certainly it’s the Holy Crown, the exclusion of fags from the concept of marriage and the conservative definition of human life (“from the conception”) are the things which piss them off.
This Zielcke went beserk. :)))http://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/neue-verfassung-fuer-ungarn-ein-europaeischer-skandal-1.1086364
I like the conclusion very much though (last sentences)
“No democratic voting can overthrow them in the foreseeable future. The revolution has won.”

Leto

The new constitution has been passed in the Parliament.
Éljen Magyarország, éljen a haza!

Elle

Ámen.

Géza

“Pls show us a single “sovereign nation states of Europe” that has been forced to join the EU”
The people where not asked in most countries and if asked they didn’t got the information about the real goal of the EEG later EU!
“They all volunteered gladly to join and hence to *submit*, then part of joining the EU is to accept that the national law is subordinated to EU law”
the liberal political elite volunteered gladly without asking the people in most countries! Beside lying to them about the real purpose of the EEG and later the EU!
By joining the EU, you give up the concept of being a “sovereign nation states”
This is the case after the treaty of Lissabon! Most countries didn’t ask their citizens opinion about rectiving this treaty, France and Holland did!
In both countries the anwser was NO!! So they changed the name of the treaty and didn’t ask the people again!
So yes France and Holland where forced after a clear No!
The majority of people in Europe never asked for a federal state of Europe and the end of their own nation state. As they didn’t ask for mass immigration from non europian countries that destroy their societies in the last decades.
They have been lied to by there own political elite.
I can give a lot of examples after the treaty came into force and Brussels took more and more control.
But you belong to that minority who love this process, but the mayority in Europe doesn’t dear man. That is the change that Leto is talking about…

Géza

@Leto “The news was to demonstrate that the puny verhofstadts are being phased out in Europe.”
I agree and I am waiting for this to happen for years now…it is just a matter of time and we can see the end of the EUssr, like we saw the end of it’s predicessor the USSR.
@Leto “The new constitution has been passed in the Parliament. ”
Great!!!:-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I5BGsK5ZAU Viking

By joining the EU, you give up the concept of being a “sovereign nation states”
This is the case after the treaty of Lissabon!
…
But you belong to that minority who love this process, but the mayority in Europe doesn’t dear man. That is the change that Leto is talking about…
Géza at April 18, 2011 5:01 PM
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You are lying that the any member state’s laws were superior to EU laws. When Sweden joined in 1995, like Hungary in 2004, both countries needed to write into their Constitutions that EU-law was superior, so how can they then be “a sovereign nation state”?
How the different “a sovereign nation state” decided how to join and under what conditions, is there private business, then until they have joined they are just that – “a sovereign nation state”
–
Thanks for agreeing with me about ‘leto’s’ intention of being happy with the right-wing populist party in Finland called “True Finn”
They are the Finn version of “Jobbik” and ‘leto’ enjoining their victory, as another EU-hating party, just shows his commitment to Fidesz – traditionally one of the most pro-EU party in Hungary
If Fidesz was like ‘leto’ it would be high time to leave the EPP and join the other populist and anti-EU parties like the UKIP
‘leto’ is more and more pointing out her Britishness, so UKIP, like for ‘bob’ seems more close than Fidesz